Trolley-base.



C. E. GIERDING.

TROLLEY BASE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5. 19:3.

Patented Feb. 22,1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON, D. c.

C. E. GIERDING.

TROLLEY BASE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5. 1913.

Patented Feb.22,1916.

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idldiqlill rill/17147174774? rw kw a a?! an" THE COLUMBIA PLANOCIRAPH C.E. GIERDING.

TROLLEY BASE. APPLICATION FILED MAR-511913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 Patented Feb. 22, 1916.

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lle l UNITED STAZlfiEiTENT onmou.

CHARLES E. GIERDING, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOB TO THE OHIO BRASSCOMPANY, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, A. CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

TROLLEY-BASE.

the various strains and Shocks to which the device is subjected duringoperation or when the trolley leaves the wire, will be neutralized orbalanced, thereby minimizing the damage and wear and tear resulting fromsuch strains and shocks, and rendering the structure extremely sensitiveand responsive to the variations in the trolley wire and the relativemovements of the car.

A further object of'my invention is to provide an improved trolley basewhich will be adjustable in its several parts so that the degree ofsensitiveness of the device may be accurately regulated.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved trolley basein which the various parts making up the complete structure will beinterchangeable so that they may be renewed or replaced at slightexpense-whenever damaged, my purpose being further to provide animproved structure of this character which may be readily assembled ordisassembled by a person unskilled in the art without the necessity ofspecial tools.

A. still further object of my invention is to provide an improvedtrolley base which may be readily locked or secured in condition tofacilitate the removal or renewal of a bent or damaged trolley pole,especially when the car is standing in repair shops or sheds having lowhead-room.

A still further object of my invention is to My invention consists inthe features of novelty in the constructions, combination andarrangement of parts hereintlescr bed,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 22, 1916.

Application filed March 5, 1913. Serial No. 752,043.

and shown in the accompanying drawings which illustrate one embodimentof my invention, and more particularly set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a structure embodying my invention, theservice springs thereof being shown partly in diagram for the purpose ofmore clearly disclosing the other parts of the device. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal central sectional view, taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially onthe line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of the trolleypole fork and the service voke in their relative positions, other partsbeing omitted for the sake of clearness. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailview ofone of the lateral extensions of the trolley pole fork upon whichone end of the service springs is anchored. Fig. 6 is a detailedtransverse sectional view on the line of 6-6 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 7 is afragmentary bottom view of base plate showing the lock for holding theturret in place.

In the accompanyingv drawings I have illustrated my invention asembodied in a structure which in practice I have found best adaptable tovarious conditions and requirements such as manufacturing and operating, but it will be obvious to one skilled in the art after havingobtainedan understanding of my invention from the disclosures hereinmade that my invention is equally as capable of embodiment in otherstructures without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

The structure shown in the drawings is of the type which is adapted formounting upon the roof of the car and for maintaining the trolley inyielding relation to the trolley wire under such variations andconditions as are usually found in practice. This structure has a broadflat base A provided with bolt holes A permitting it to be securelyfastened to the top of the car. Rising vertically from this base andpreferably formed integrally therewith is a hollow turret post orstandard A which is circular in section and which serves as a centralmember around which the several operating parts rotate in adaptingthemselves to the movements of the car relative to the trolley wire. Ahollow, inverted member B formfing a turret is mounted to rotate uponthe post or standard A and bearings, such as vertical roller bearings Bare provided to reduce friction incident to the rotary action of theturret. Any suitable means may be employed for holding the turret inposition. In the structure shown I use a central bolt C which screws atits upper end in the head B of the turret and which extends downwardlythrough the central bore C of the post A The lower end C of the bolt hasa. head B and the lower end portion C of the post bore, althoughslightly contracted, is sufficient in diameter to allow the bolthead Bto be passed freely through it. In the under side of the base-plate Iprovide a strip or bar of metal A slidable horizontally in a suitablegroove, and having a forked or slotted end A (Figs. 2 and 7) adapted toembrace the bolt C just above its head and thus lock the turret againstvertical displacement. This, however, does not interfere with therotation of the turret. The locking member may be fastened in positionby means of a small screw A This arrangement permits the turret to beconveniently removed for the purpose of cleaning or repair. Anotherimportant advantage lies in the fact that, as will later appear, thevarious operating parts are all mounted upon or supported by the turret,and may be readily removed therewith as a unit, thus facilitating thequick interchanging of trolley mechanisms without detaching the basefrom the car whenever the occasion requires. In the structure shown thetrolley pole is supported at an angle to the car by a swinging fork ormember D, which has an elongated socket or bore D for receiving thelower part of the trolley pole. This socket forming portion ispreferably split into two separable sections, as shown, whereby thetrolley pole may be conveniently detached as desired. The fork D is ingeneral U-shaped and embraces the upper portion of the turret upon whichit is mounted. It will be seen that the upper portion of the turret hasa horizontally disposed bearing portion 1. This carries a shortremovable shaft or axle 2, projecting beyond the ends of the bearing andforming pivotal supports for the parallel or side portion D of thetrolley fork. In order that these parts may be readily assembled ordisassembled without the necessity of any special tools I cut a slot Din the central portion of the journal bearing 1 to accommodate a cotterpin D which passes through a suitable hole in the shaft 2 and projectsinto said slot. This simple arrangement'firmly holds the shaft andconsequently the fork in their relative operating positions. The removalof the single cotter pin D unlocks the shaft and permits the parts to bereadily disassembled.

The free ends 5 of the trolley fork project beyond or below the pivotalaxis of the trolley fork. These ends 5 have laterally projecting studshaftsor pins 6 to which the ends of a number of service springs S areanchored. These service springs, acting on the pivoted fork, hold thetrolley in yielding engagement with the trolley wire and allow thetrolley to rise and fall in accordance with the variations in therelative height of the trolley wire as the car travels. The springs maybe of any suitable design for the purpose and any desired number orarrangement. In carrying out the idea of a balanced or equalizedstructure I prefer, however, to usetwo sets of two springseach,

one set thereof being disposed on either side of the turret and all ofsaid springs lying substantially in the same horizontal plane;

The springs are preferably made in the form of elongated spirals havingeyelets or loops 7 and 8 formed at their respective ends.

As before mentioned the ends 7 of the service springs are anchored onthe studs 6 which project laterally from the trolley fork. I provide oneach of these studs 6, a rotatable sleeve 9, having a longitudinal slot10 extending through to the stud. The sleeves are held in place on thestuds by small lugs 11. formed at the ends of said studs, and they canonly be removed from or placed on the studs by rotating them until theslots 10 register with the lugs 11 (Figs. 1 and 5). The loop ends 7 ofthe service spring encircle these sleeves, each sleeve being adapted toaccommodate the two springs of each set. A portion of the periphery ofthe sleeves on the rear sides thereof are provided with grooves 12wherein the loops 7 are seated, and the grooves are eccentricallydisposed with relation to the remaining peripheral portions of thesleeves so that the tension-ex erted by the service springs on thesleeves prevents the sleeves from turning in the loops and becomingaccidentally unlocked from the studs. During the operation of thedevice, however, the sleeves rotate to a certain extent on thestuds,.due to the varying angular relation between the trolley fork andthe service springs, and thereby constitute bearings for the loop endsof the springs to take up such wear as the loop ends of the springs andstuds would otherwise be subjected to if the loop ends of the springswere placed directly on the studs. It is seen that the grooves 12 andslots 10 of the sleeves and the lugs 11 are relatively so positioned:with respect to each other that the sleeves are held againstdisplacement on the studs by the lugs 11 permit the longitudinal removalthereof. This construction has the decided advantage that the wear onthe loop ends of the springs is entirely eliminated, and the wear on thestuds is minimized due to the pressure of the loop ends of the springsbeing distributed by the sleeves throughout their entire length. Theother loop ends 8 of the service springs, as will be seen moreparticularly in Fig. l, are removably anchored on the hooked ends (15)of a crosstree or tail bar 26 which is supported by a substantialhorizontal service yoke. Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that theservice yoke is in the form of a loop shaped member, the main sideportions of which are substantially parallel and lie outside of orembrace the turret, but lie'inside or between the arms of the trolleyfork D. The forward ends 21 of these side bars turn inwardly and thencontinue forward to form a narrower forward loop 22. The rear ends ofthe parallel side bars 20 of the yoke merge together in a singlerearwardly projecting tail piece 23 which is dropped slightly below theplane of the forward loop 22 and which preferably inclines slightlyupwardly. This tail piece is preferably hollow and rectangular insection and telescopes within the hollow rectangular stem 24 of the.tail member 26 both parts being made rectangular to prevent relativerotary movement. The purpose of this arrangement is to provide for theaccurate regulation of the tension of the service springs.

The tail member has a central opening 27 through which an adjusting bolt27 freely passes and extends longitudinally within the stem 24 and tailpiece 23 where it engages with or operates against a partition orabutment 28 in said tail piece. Just behind the opening 27 is a threadedsquare nut 29 of a size to fit easily within said hollow stem. The boltis threaded through this square nut so that by rotating it in onedirection or the other it will operate to move the tail member 26longitudinally in either direction depending upon the direction of therotation of the bolt and thereby vary the tension of the service springsS. A look nut 30 may be provided on the bolt for the purpose of lockingthe bolt and the tail member 26 in their adjusted position. Thisarrangement has the advantage of being simple in construction and theparts are interchangeable so that those parts (the nut 29 and the bolt27) which are subjected to the wear, may be renewed at slight expense.In other words, if the bolt member 27 were threaded directly through thetail member 26 it is readily seen that the wearing or stripping ofrthethreads in said tail member would necessitate the renewal of the entiretail member, whereas by the present construction this expense iseliminated.

head of the forward loop 22. The rod 35 V is threaded into a socket inthe end of and rigidly supported by a round stud 36 formed integral withand projecting horizontally from the turret member B. In order not tointerfere with the longitudinal movement of the yoke, I place a slidingcollar or sleeve 37 on the rod 35. This sleeve passes through a slightlylarger opening 38 in the head of the forward loop 22 which allows aslight rotary movement of the yoke about the pivot shaft and facilitatesa better equalization of shocks. The sleeve 37 has a flange 39 againstwhich said head abuts and between this flanged collar and the turret isa strong buffer spring S It frequently happens that the trolley leavesor jumps the trolley wire and the trolley pole under the influence oraction of the service springs is swung or thrown violently forward. Themomentum acquired often carries the trolley pole so far over that thepole is bent or broken and the other parts of the structure aresubjected to damaging shocks. The structure which I have showneliminates these objections. The buffer spring S absorbs these variousshocks and brings the trolley pole to a stop gradually, and the entirestructure is so arranged that the strains are equalized or balanced tosuch an extent that no damage whatever is done. In the structure shownthe buffer spring. as before mentioned, is in the form of a spiral. coilencircling the stud 36 and rod 35 and is positioned between the turretand. the collar or sleeve 37 hence when the service yoke is moved orshifted bodily rearward the buffer spring will be compressed. In order,therefore. to communicate the shock of the rapidly moving trolley poleto the yoke whereby the shock may be absorbed by the buffer spring, Iprovide the lower ends 5 of the trolley fork with instanding buffer lugsor projections 40 which strike or en gage shoulders 41 on the mainservice yoke adjacent its lower edges. These shoulders ll are formed bythe inturned ends 20 of the service yoke at some distance below thepivotal axis of the trolley fork, hence when the buffer lugs 40 strikethese shoulders the service yoke is shifted horizontally rearwardly andthe compression of the buffer spring absorbs the shock and brings thetrolley pole gently to rest. It will be ob served that the faces of theshoulders 4:1

Ill)

are substantially in a vertical line passing through the pivotal axis ofthe trolley fork and that the buffer lugs on the trolley fork aredisposed sufiiciently forward on. the yoke to not interfere with thenormal operation of the trolley pole see Fig. a). Since the buffer lugsare on the fork they necessarily move through an arc and they engage theshoulders 41 when they are moving through the lowest point in said are.For a short distance on each side of this lowest point the movement ofthe buffer lugs amounts practically to a straight horizontal lineparallel with the line of movement with the main service yoke. Inconsequence of this arrangement and. proportion of the parts the mainservice yoke is shifted longitudinally and not subjected to any lateralor vertical strains, hence I have found that in practice I am able todispense with any devices or mechanism for taking up lateral or verticalstrains on the main service yoke. The advantage of my improvedconstruction over the various types of trolley bases now on the marketis marked in this respect. The shocks on the apparatus are concentratedalong the horizontal line of movement of the main service yoke in suchmanner as to be directly and completely absorbed by the buffer springand at the same time the entire structure is entirely unhampered in itsrotary or turret movement. Another important feature of my improvedstructure lies in the fact that as before intimated the parts are soproportioned that when the buffer spring and service yoke come intooperation to take care of the abnormal movement of the trolley pole, theservice springs S are in such position as to exert no tension upon thetrolley pole. In other words, at the time the buffer lugs 40 strike theshoulders 4C1 the service springs will cease to urge the trolley poleforward, hence the buffer spring will not have to counteract any tl enexisting force of the service springs.

It is very frequently found necessary to replace or renew bent ordamaged trolley poles while the cars are in the repair shops or sheds,but these repair shops generally have such low head room, that it isimpossible to raise the pole to the position wherein the service springtension is released as is the usual custom. and therefore, when bent ordamaged poles are renewed in the shops. the trolley poles must be pulleddown close to the top of the car. Furthermore, the powerful action ofthe service springs renders it not only difficult but actually dangerousto attempt to remove the trolley pole from its yoke without in some wayfastening or locking the fork. I have provideda simple form of lock forthis purpose. Referring more particularly to Fig. 2 it will be seen thaton the rear side of the turret is a ver tically movable latch or hook Hmounted between two outstanding lugs H on the turret. A pin passesbetween these two lugs and through an opening H in the latch H. Thisopening or slot H is elongated so that the Y latch may be raised orlowered vertically a considerable distance. This may be accomplished byforming the lower portion of the edge H. at an angle to the remainingportion H of said edge, and also placing the lower portion of the slotat a corresponding angle, thereby making it necessary to lift the latchvertically a certain distance before it can be swung outwardly away fromthe turret. In order to lock the trolley fork it is simply necessary topull it down close to the top of the car and then lift the latch H andhook it over the top edge H of the trolley fork. lViththe trolleyforktlius locked the work of removing or replacing a trolley pole isrendered. extremely convenient and easy. Obviously however the lock doesnot interfere with handling of trolley poles in the case of long carswhere two trolley poles are employed and the one not in use is fasteneddown close to the car by a hook or other means which engages the trolleypole further out near its end. The fact that this latch does notinterfere with operating conditions is obvious since the trolley forkclears the latch completely when the latch is in its normal position, asshown iii-Fig. 2.

I claim:

1. In the structure of the class described, the combination. of astationary base, a yoke member rotatively mounted on said base, trolleypole mechanism pivotally mounted on said yoke and operable through anarc of movement, service spring mechanism connected to said trolley polemechanism and constantly tending to rotate it about its pivot, means onsaid trolley pole mechanism for shifting said yoke member longitudinallywhen said trolley mechanism is moving through a portion of its arcsubstantially parallel with the direction of movement of said yokemember and means yieldingly resi in 1.1110 11 0' set oiemem er.v

st gtle V veient f 1d l b In a structure of the class described, thecombination of a support, a member longitudinally shiftable on saidsupport, a trolley pole device pivoted on said support, springmechanism. normally tending to rotate said trolley pole device on itspivot through a certain are, means on said trolley pole device forengaging and shifting said member longitudinally at the time said meansmoves substantially parallel with the direction of movement of saidmember, and a buffer spring acting on said member to resist thelongitudinal movement thereof.

3. In a structure of the class described, the combination. of asupporting base, a turret member rotatably mounted on said base, atrolley arm pivotally mounted on said tur ret member, service springmechanism acting on said trolley arm to maintain it in operativerelation to the trolley wire, a movable member mounted on said turretand adapted to. be shifted by said trolley arm when the trolley arm isin that abnormal position wherein its line of movement and that of saidmovable member substantially coincide, and a buffer spring adapted to0ppose said movable member.

4. In a structure of the class described, the combination with astationary base, turret rotatably mounted on said base, a trolley polefork pivoted on said turret, a spring mechanism tending to swing saidtrolley fork on its pivot, a yoke member mounted upon said turret, meanson said trolley fork placed to correspond with an abnormal position ofsaid trolley pole fork and adapted when the arc of movement of saidmeans substantially coincide with the line of movement of said yokemember, and a bufier spring constantly opposing the movement of saidyoke member.

5. In a structure of the class described, a stationary supporting base,in combination with a rotary turret mounted thereon, a bearing formed onsaid turret, a transverse shaft journaled therein, a yoke flanking saidturret and rotatable therewith and having a slotted connection with saidshaft to permit itslongitudinal movement, a head formed at one end ofsaid yoke, a heavy buffer spring interposed between said head and saidturret for opposing the movement of said yoke, a forked trolley armpivoted on said shaft and having buffer lugs projecting beyond saidshaft, buffer shoulders formed on said yoke and disposed in a linepassing through the axis of said shaft perpendicularly with respect tothe line of longitudinal movement of said yoke, said shoulders beingadapted to be struck by the buffer lugs of said trolley arm when the armreaches an abnormal position and service spring mechanism acting on saidarm and tending to swing it into said abnormal position.

6. In a structure of the class described, a

stationary supporting base, in combination with a rotary turret mountedthereon, a bearing formed on said turret, a transverse shaft journaledtherein, a yoke flanking said turret and rotatable therewith and havinga slotted connection with said shaft to permit its longitudinalmovement, a head formed at one end of said yoke, a powerful bufferspring interposed between said head and said turret for opposing themovement of said yoke, a forked trolley arm pivoted on said shaft andhaving buffer lugs projecting beyond said shaft, buffer shoulders formedon said yoke and disposed in a line passing through the axis of saidshaft perpendicularly with respect to the line of longitudinal movementof said yoke, said shoulders being adapted to be struck by the bufferlugs of said trolley arm when the arm reaches an abnormal position, alongitudinally adjustable tail member on the rear end of said yoke and aplurality ofservice springs connected between said tail member and saidtrolley arm and tending to swing said arm to said abnormal position.

7. In a structure of the class described, a stationary supporting basein combination with a turret rotatably mounted thereon, a yoke memberflanking said turret and having a head formed on its forward end, a tailformed atthe rear end of said yoke, a longitudinally adjustable tailmember mounted on said tail, a bearing formed on said turret, atransverse shaft mounted in said bearing and passing through slots insaid yoke to permit a limited longitudinal movement of said yoke, aforked trolley arm spanning said turret and pivotally mounted upon saidshaft, buffer lugs formed on said trolley arm beyond said shaft, buffershoulders formed on said yoke in a line passing through the axis of saidshaft perpendicularly with respect to the line of movement of said yokeand disposed in the path of said buffer lugs, a plurality of servicesprings connected between said tail member and said forked trolley armtending to throw said trolley arm forward about its pivot into anabnormal position, and a buffer spring interposed between said turretand said yoke head for opposing the movement of said yoke and absorbingthe shock incident to the buffer lugs striking said shoulders.

8. In a structure of the class described, a

stationary supporting base in combination 7 with a'turret rotatablymounted'thereon, a oke member flanking said turret and having a headformed on its forward end, a tail formed at the rear end of said yoke, alongitudinally adjustable tail member mounted on said tail, abearingformed on said turret, a transverse shaft mounted in said bearing andpassing through slots in said yoke to permit a limited longitudinalmovement of said yoke, a forked trolley arm spanning said turret andpivotally mounted upon said shaft, buffer lugs formed on said trolleyarm beyond said shaft, bufler shoulders formed on said yoke in a linepassing through the axis of said shaft perpendicularly with respect tothe line of movement of said yoke and disposed in the path of saidbufl'er lugs, a plurality of service springs connected between said tailmember and said forked trolley arm tending to throw said trollev armforward about its pivot into an abnormal position, a buffer springinterposed between said turret and said yoke head for opposing themovement of said yoke and absorbing the shock incident to the bufferlugs strikin said shoulders, a central slot in said bearing and a singleremovable pin positioned in said slot and passing through said shaft forlocking the shaft into position.

9. In a structure of the class described, a supporting base incombination with a rearwardly extended member mounted upon said base, aforked trolley arm pivoted upon said base, a tail member telescoped withsaid rearwardly extended member, tension springs extending between saidtail member and said forked trolley arm for actuating said trolley arm,a removable member carried by said tail member and a bolt threadedthrough said removable member and acting against said rearwardlyextended member for relatively moving said tail memher to adjust thetension of said springs.

10. In a trolley base of the class described, the combination of twotelescoping members relatively movable with respect to eachformed in oneof said hollow bars, a thread.

ed member detachably held in said other bar, a bolt operating saidthreaded member and extending longitudinally of said bars intoengagement with said abutment for adjusting said bars relatively to eachother, and means on one of said bars to which the spring tensionmechanism of the trolley base may be anchored.

12. In a structure of the class described, a supporting base, incombination with a forked trolley arm pivotally mounted thereon andhaving a laterally projecting stud,,a slotted sleeve rotatably mounted,on said stud, a lug on said stud for holding said sleeve thereon butpermitting the sleeve to be removed when the slot and lug register, anda tension spring having a loop end encircling said sleeve.

13. In a structure of the class described,.a supporting base, incombination with a forked trolley arm pivotally mounted thereon andhaving a laterally projecting stud, a slotted sleeve rotatably mountedon said stud, a lug on said stud for holding said sleeve thereon butpermitting the sleeve to be removed when the slot and lug register, aneccentrically disposed groove formed ina periphery of said sleeve, and atension spring anchored at one end and having a loop end encircling saidsleeve and seating.

in said groove, whereby the tension of said spring on said sleeve willprevent relative movement of the sleeve in said loop.

14. In a structure of the class described, a supporting base incombination with a forked trolley arm pivotally mounted upon said. baseand having laterally projecting studs, rotatable collars mounted uponsaid studs, eccentric grooves formed in the peripheries of said collars,tension springs anchored at one end and having looped ends encirclingsaid collars and seated in said CHARLES E. GIERDING.

lVitnesses J OHN L. YOUNG, C. V. MARKS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

